Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Low

Low

,
obs.
strong
imp.
of
Laugh
.
Chaucer.

Low

(lō)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Lowed
(lōd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Lowing
.]
[OE.
lowen
, AS.
hlōwan
; akin to D.
loeijen
, OHG.
hlōjan
,
hluojan
.]
To make the calling sound of cows and other bovine animals; to moo.
The
lowing
herd wind slowly o’er the lea.
Gray.

Low

,
Noun.
The calling sound ordinarily made by cows and other bovine animals.
Talking voices and the
law
of herds.
Wordsworth.

Low

,
Noun.
[AS.
hlāw
; akin to Goth.
hlaiw
a grave,
hlains
a hill, and to E.
lean
to incline.]
A hill; a mound; a grave.
[Obs. except in place names.]
Skeat.

Low

(lō; Scot. lou)
,
Noun.
[Icel.
log
,
logi
; akin to E.
light
,
Noun.
]
Fire; a flame; a light.
[Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

Low

,
Verb.
I.
To burn; to blaze.
[Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Burns.

Low

(lō)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Lower
(lō′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Lowest
.]
[OE.
low
,
louh
,
lah
, Icel.
lāgr
; akin to Sw.
låg
, Dan.
lav
, D.
laag
, and E.
lie
. See
Lie
to be prostrate.]
1.
Occupying an inferior position or place; not high or elevated; depressed in comparison with something else;
as,
low
ground; a
low
flight.
2.
Not rising to the usual height;
as, a man of
low
stature; a
low
fence.
3.
Near the horizon;
as, the sun is
low
at four o'clock in winter, and six in summer
.
4.
Sunk to the farthest ebb of the tide;
as,
low
tide
.
5.
Beneath the usual or remunerative rate or amount, or the ordinary value; moderate; cheap;
as, the
low
price of corn;
low
wages.
6.
Not loud;
as, a
low
voice; a
low
sound.
7.
(Mus.)
Depressed in the scale of sounds; grave;
as, a
low
pitch; a
low
note.
8.
(Phon.)
Made, as a vowel, with a low position of part of the tongue in relation to the palate;
as, ă (ăm), a̤ (a̤ll)
. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 10, 11.
9.
Near, or not very distant from, the equator;
as, in the
low
northern latitudes
.
10.
Numerically small;
as, a
low
number
.
11.
Wanting strength or animation; depressed; dejected;
as,
low
spirits;
low
in spirits.
12.
Depressed in condition; humble in rank;
as, men of
low
condition; the
lower
classes.
Why but to keep ye
low
and ignorant ?
Milton.
13.
Mean; vulgar; base; dishonorable;
as, a person of
low
mind; a
low
trick or stratagem.
14.
Not elevated or sublime; not exalted in thought or diction;
as, a
low
comparison
.
In comparison of these divine writers, the noblest wits of the heathen world are
low
and dull.
Felton.
15.
Submissive; humble.
“Low reverence.”
Milton.
16.
Deficient in vital energy; feeble; weak;
as, a
low
pulse; made
low
by sickness.
17.
Moderate; not intense; not inflammatory;
as,
low
heat; a
low
temperature; a
low
fever.
18.
Smaller than is reasonable or probable;
as, a
low
estimate
.
19.
Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple;
as, a
low
diet
.
☞ Low is often used in the formation of compounds which require no special explanation; as, low-arched, low-browed, low-crowned, low-heeled, low-lying, low-priced, low-roofed, low-toned, low-voiced, and the like.
Low Church
.
See
High Church
, under
High
.
–
Low Countries
,
the Netherlands.
–
Low German
,
Low Latin
,
etc. See under
German
,
Latin
, etc.
–
Low life
,
humble life.
–
Low milling
,
a process of making flour from grain by a single grinding and by siftings.
–
Low relief
.
See
Bas-relief
.
–
Low side window
(Arch.)
,
a peculiar form of window common in mediæval churches, and of uncertain use. Windows of this sort are narrow, near the ground, and out of the line of the windows, and in many different situations in the building.
–
Low spirits
,
despondency.
–
Low steam
,
steam having a low pressure.
–
Low steel
,
steel which contains only a small proportion of carbon, and can not be hardened greatly by sudden cooling.
–
Low Sunday
,
the Sunday next after Easter; – popularly so called.
–
Low tide
,
the farthest ebb of the tide; the tide at its lowest point; low water.
–
Low water
.
(a)
The lowest point of the ebb tide; a low stage of the in a river, lake, etc.
(b)
(Steam Boiler)
The condition of an insufficient quantity of water in the boiler.
–
Low water alarm
or
Low water indicator
(Steam Boiler)
,
a contrivance of various forms attached to a boiler for giving warning when the water is low.
–
Low water mark
,
that part of the shore to which the waters recede when the tide is the lowest.
Bouvier.
–
Low wine
,
a liquor containing about 20 percent of alcohol, produced by the first distillation of wash; the first run of the still; – often in the plural.

Low

,
Noun.
(Card Playing)
The lowest trump, usually the deuce; the lowest trump dealt or drawn.

Low

,
adv.
1.
In a low position or manner; not aloft; not on high; near the ground.
2.
Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply;
as, he sold his wheat
low
.
3.
In a low or mean condition; humbly; meanly.
4.
In time approaching our own.
In that part of the world which was first inhabited, even as
low
down as Abraham's time, they wandered with their flocks and herds.
Locke.
5.
With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently;
as, to speak
low
.
Addison.
The . . . odorous wind
Breathes
low
between the sunset and the moon.
Tennyson.
6.
With a low musical pitch or tone.
Can sing both high and
low
.
Shakespeare
7.
In subjection, poverty, or disgrace;
as, to be brought
low
by oppression, by want, or by vice
.
Spenser.
8.
(Astron.)
In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; – said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution;
as, the moon runs
low
, that is, is comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian
.

Low

,
Verb.
T.
To depress; to lower.
[Obs.]
Swift.

Webster 1828 Edition

Low

LOW

,
Adj.
1.
Not high or elevated; depressed below any given surface or place. Low ground or land, is land below the common level. Low is opposed to high, and both are relative terms. That which is low with respect to one thing, may be high with respect to another. A low house would be a high fence. A low flight for an eagle, would be a high flight for a partridge.
2.
Not rising to the usual height; as a man of low stature.
3.
Declining near the horizon. The sun is low at four o'clock in winter, and at six in summer.
4.
Deep; descending far below the adjacent ground; as a low valley.
The lowest bottom shook of Erebus.
5.
Sunk to the natural level of the ocean by the retiring of the tide; as low water.
6.
Below the usual rate or amount, or below the ordinary value; as a low price of corn; low wages.
7.
Not high or loud; as a low voice.
8.
Grave; depressed in the scale of sounds; as a low note.
9.
Near or not very distant from the equator; as a low latitude. We say, the low southern latitudes; the high northern latitudes.
10.
Late in time; modern as the lower empire.
11.
Dejected; depressed in vigor; wanting strength or animation; as low spirits; low in spirits. His courage is low.
12.
Depressed in condition; in a humble state.
Why but to keep you low and ignorant?
13.
Humble in rank; in a mean condition; as men of high and low condition; the lower walks of life; a low class of people.
14.
Mean; abject; groveling; base; as a person of low mind.
15.
Dishonorable; mean; as a low trick or stratagem.
16.
Not elevated or sublime; not exalted in thought or diction; as a low comparison; a low metaphor; low language.
In comparison of these divine writers, the noblest wits of the heathen world are low and dull.
17.
Vulgar; common; as a low education.
18.
Submissive; humble; reverent.
And pay their fealty with low subjection.
But first low reverence done.
19.
Weak; exhausted of vital energy. His disease has brought him very low.
20.
Feeble; weak; without force; as a low pulse.
21.
Moderate; not inflammatory; as a low fever.
22.
Moderate; not intense; as a low heat; a low temperature.
23.
Impoverished; in reduced circumstances. The rich are often reduced to a low condition.
24.
Moderate; as a low calculation or estimate.
25.
Plain; simple; not rich, high seasoned or nourishing; as a low diet.

LOW

, adv.
1.
Not aloft; not on high; often in composition; as low-brow'd rocks.
2.
Under the usual price; at a moderate price. He sold his wheat low.
3.
Near the ground; as, the bird flies very low.
4.
In a mean condition; in composition; as a low-born fellow; a low-born lass.
5.
In time approaching our own.
In the part of the world which was first inhabited, even as low down as Abraham's time, they wandered with their flocks and herds.
6.
With a depressed voice; not loudly; as, speak low.
7.
In a state of subjection, poverty or disgrace; as, to be brought low by oppression, by want or by vice.

LOW

,
Verb.
T.
To sink; to depress. [Not used.]

LOW

,
Verb.
I.
[L. lugeo, to weep, the sense of which is, to cry out.]
To bellow, as an ox or cow.
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea.

Definition 2024

low

low

See also: 'low and low%

English

Adjective

low ‎(comparative lower, superlative lowest)

  1. In a position comparatively close to the ground.
  2. Small in height.
  3. Situated below the normal level, or the mean elevation.
  4. Depressed, sad.
    low spirits
    I felt low at Christmas with no family to celebrate with.
  5. Not high in amount or quantity.
    Food prices are lower in a supermarket than in a luxury department store.
    • 2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68:
      The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. […] current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate […] “stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.
  6. Of a pitch, suggesting a lower frequency.
    Generally, European men have lower voices than their Indian counterparts.‎
  7. Quiet; soft; not loud.
    They spoke in low voices so I would not hear what they were saying.‎
    Why would you want to play heavy metal at such a low volume?‎
  8. Despicable; lacking dignity; vulgar.
    Now that was low even for you!‎
    a person of low mind
    a low trick or stratagem
  9. Lacking health or vitality; feeble; weak.
    a low pulse
    made low by sickness
  10. Being near the equator.
    the low northern latitudes
  11. Humble in character or status.
    • Milton
      Why but to keep ye low and ignorant?
    • Felton
      In comparison of these divine writers, the noblest wits of the heathen world are low and dull.
  12. Simple in complexity or development.
  13. Designed for the slowest speed, as in low gear.
  14. Articulated with a wide space between the flat tongue and the palette.
  15. (phonetics) Made, as a vowel, with a low position of part of the tongue in relation to the palate.
  16. (archaic) Not rich, highly seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple.
    a low diet
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • (in a position comparatively close to the ground): high
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

low ‎(plural lows)

  1. Something that is low; a low point.
    You have achieved a new low in behavior, Frank.
    Economic growth has hit a new low.
  2. A depressed mood or situation.
    He is in a low right now
  3. (meteorology) An area of low pressure; a depression.
  4. The lowest-speed gearing of a power-transmission system, especially of an automotive vehicle.
    Shift out of low before the car gets to eight miles per hour.
  5. (card games) The lowest trump, usually the deuce; the lowest trump dealt or drawn.
  6. (slang) (usually accompanied by "the") a cheap, cost-efficient, or advantageous payment or expense.
    He got the brand new Yankees jersey for the low.
Translations

Adverb

low ‎(comparative lower, superlative lowest)

  1. Close to the ground.
  2. Of a pitch, at a lower frequency.
    • Shakespeare
      Can sing both high and low.
  3. With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently.
    to speak low
    • Tennyson
      The […] odorous wind / Breathes low between the sunset and the moon.
  4. Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply.
    He sold his wheat low.
  5. In a low mean condition; humbly; meanly.
    • 2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner's punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014, p. S22]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):
      But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low.
  6. In a time approaching our own.
    • John Locke
      In that part of the world which was first inhabited, even as low down as Abraham's time, they wandered with their flocks and herds.
  7. (astronomy) In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution.
    The moon runs low, i.e. comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian.
Translations

Verb

low ‎(third-person singular simple present lows, present participle lowing, simple past and past participle lowed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To depress; to lower.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Jonathan Swift to this entry?)

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Old English hlōg, preterite of hliehhan ‎(“to laugh”). More at laugh.

Verb

low

  1. obsolete simple past tense of laugh.

Etymology 3

From Middle English lowen ‎(“to low”), from Old English hlōwan ‎(“to low, bellow, roar”), from Proto-Germanic *hlōaną ‎(“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kale-, *klā-, *klē- ‎(“to shout, call”). Cognate with Dutch loeien ‎(“to low”), Middle High German lüejen ‎(“to roar”), Swedish dialectal lumma ‎(“to roar”), Latin calō ‎(“I call”), Ancient Greek καλέω ‎(kaléō), Latin clāmō ‎(“I shout, claim”). More at claim.

Verb

low ‎(third-person singular simple present lows, present participle lowing, simple past and past participle lowed)

  1. (intransitive) To moo.
    The cattle were lowing.
    • Gray
      The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea.
Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English lowe, loghe, from Old Norse logi ‎(“fire, flame, sword”), from Proto-Germanic *lugô ‎(“flame, blaze”), from Proto-Indo-European *leuk- ‎(“light”). Cognate with Icelandic logi ‎(“flame”), Swedish låga ‎(“flame”), Danish lue ‎(“flame”), German Lohe ‎(“blaze, flames”), North Frisian leag ‎(“fire, flame”), Old English līeġ ‎(“fire, flame, lightning”). More at leye, light.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • enPR: lou, IPA(key): /laʊ/
  • Rhymes: -aʊ

Noun

low ‎(plural lows)

  1. (countable, Britain, Scotland, dialect) A flame; fire; blaze.
Translations

Verb

low ‎(third-person singular simple present lows, present participle lowing, simple past and past participle lowed)

  1. (Britain, Scotland, dialect) To burn; to blaze.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Burns to this entry?)

Etymology 5

From Old English hlāw, hlǣw ‎(“burial mound”), from Proto-Germanic *hlaiwaz. Obsolete by the 19th century, survives in toponymy as -low.

Alternative forms

Noun

low ‎(plural lows)

  1. (archaic or obsolete) Barrow, mound, tumulus.
    A barrow or Low, such as were usually cast up over the bodies of eminent Captains. (Robert Plot, The natural history of Staffordshire, 1686; cited after OED).
  2. (Scottish dialectal, archaic) A hill.
    And some they brought the brown lint-seed, and flung it down from the Low. (Mary Howitt, Ballads and other poems 1847)

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: laid · cold · led · #518: low · American · bad · forward

Anagrams

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowing from English low.

Adjective

low

  1. (slang) vulgar; low; inferior

Manx

Etymology

Borrowing from English allow.

Verb

low ‎(verbal noun lowal, past participle lowit)

  1. to allow, permit
  2. to justify

Antonyms

Etymology

From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr ‎(“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz ‎(“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‎(“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich ‎(“low”), Low German leeg ‎(“low, feeble, bad”), Danish lav ‎(“low”), Icelandic lágur ‎(“low”), West Frisian leech ‎(“low”), North Frisian leeg, liig ‎(“low”), Dutch laag ‎(“low”), German läge ‎(“lying, low”). More at lie.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ləʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /loʊ/
  • Homophones: lo, Lowe
  • Rhymes: -əʊ (Etymologies 1 & 2 only)(Can we verify(+) this pronunciation?)

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